SSV: The College Chronicals
by Jiki Arosakka
Summary: Well, this story is just a bunch of stuff all stuck together. ^^; It takes place in the future, Xelqued, Derix_IV, DarkDigitalDream, and OobabixgurloO now live on the SSV and go to college there. R & R pleeeasse!


Note from the Author:  
  
NO! I DON'T OWN NEOPETS! *sobbing hysterically* NYUU! I DON'T OWN IT AT ALL! … But I do own Derix_IV and OobabixgurloO! ^^ Demee-San owns Xelqued and DarkDigitalDream, though. ((I also own Oscar263, who's supposedly going out with Dream here! *gasp!* they send each other letters every other day. ^^; kawaii, ne?!  
  
*Oscar: WHAT?!*  
  
*Dream: ~~ I'll give you nightmares for years for this.*))  
  
And now, a wise saying!  
  
"Pizza is good for you. It's cheese, tomatoes, and bread. Pizza is the healthy junk food."  
  
Okay! On with the story!  
  
~Jikki  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
SSV: The College Chronicals  
  
Chapter 1: The Beginning  
  
Tamue gazed lazily out the window next to her. Stars were shimmering everywhere she looked, appearing, almost seeming to dance on the sheet of black velvet, then disappearing quickly. Yes, today was another one of those lazy days… a day when the only thing to do was sit and dream, or run around with no real purpose, or even take a ship down to Neopia. It was like a Saturday, even though it was only halfway through the week. A shadow fell over her desk, and she looked up lazily to the eyes of Professor Tzexuel; her architecture science teacher.  
  
"Tamue." He said simply.  
  
"Professor." She answered curtly. Tzexuel was – as far as she was concerned – a doddery old fool who knew too much about science to live.  
  
"Would you kindly tell us," he frowned and looked out the window. "What, exactly, you were looking at out there?"  
  
"The stars, sir." His frown deepened. Tamue could hear the class holding back laughter. Turning around and glaring at them, they all shut up quickly, though a pink Aisha raised her paw in the air.  
  
"Oh… oh, Professor!" Tzexuel turned. Ananke was practically dancing in her seat from the excitement. "A star is a self-luminous gaseous celestial body of great mass which produces energy by means of nuclear fusion reactions, whose shape is usually spheroidal, and whose size may be as small as the earth or larger than the earth's orbit!" She put her hand down quickly and gave Tamue a very snobby look, barely showing off her teeth. Tamue shot a death look right back.  
  
"That's correct Ananke." Tzexuel also shot Tamue a look, and she looked up innocently. "Tamue here needs to do more studying. In fact, Miss Tamue…" he started walking towards her desk. "I'm afraid I'll have to schedule the time that you need to get this studying done… with the commander, perhaps?"  
  
Tamue's face went pale. The one thing that she didn't need right now was bad points against the commander. She already had more than enough, and he had enough to worry about without her coming in to visit every 30 minutes. Surely, he was tired of her by now.  
  
"Let me see…" he started to fill out a form, when Tamue heard an all too familiar voice in her head.  
  
++Tamue. You alright?++ She let out a sigh of relief. Just the person who could always get her out of trouble! Why hadn't she thought of it before… Derix IV!  
  
++Derix-Cha! I'm in trouble again, all because of stupid Nanke…++ she started to chatter. ++Anyway you can get me out of Tzexuel's class?!++  
  
++You know, I really shouldn't do this.++ he answered smugly. She could almost see him, sitting in his room (this was his extra class) relaxing with a grin on his face, thinking up horrible ways to torture her… ++Should let you get out of your own trouble, that's what I should do.++  
  
++DERIX-CHAN!++ she yelled back helplessly, taking a quick glance at Tzexuel. He didn't seem to have an urge to take a break.  
  
++This is an EMERGENCY! I'm gonna be stuck with the COMMANDER all day if you don't DO SOMETHING!++  
  
++Oh… I think my dad's had enough of you.++ Derix, his father gone, had been adopted by the new commander of the SSV, Shreelox III.++…Or maybe not. That reminds me…++ Derix's voice suddenly echoed through the classroom.  
  
"Attention… Attention. Would Tamue Zee please visit the bridge. Tamue Zee, report to the bridge."  
  
++Happy?++ he scowled.  
  
++THANK YOU, Derix-Cha, I owe you one!++  
  
++You know it. I have some other people to page, so if you'll excuse me…++ and with that, he was gone. Tamue jumped up and made her way quickly out of the classroom. Anyone who lived on the SSV; now a part high- school/collage would know: When you were called to the Commander's Bridge, you took off in a run. Now that the halls were absent of the usual classes and people booming around, Tamue had the ability to look left and right without bother. She came across normal doors; biology, algebra, calculus, html coding (one of her favorites) and, of course, literature. Then, out of no where, she heard a door open, and she barely had time to attempt to skid to a stop when she crashed into something familiar and yellow.  
  
"GA!" a yelp rose up, and in a second, Tamue noticed she was on the top of a pretty small pile, made up of her and Xelqued.  
  
"Eh! Hi, Xellie-Chan!" she squealed, unable to hide a grin. "What're you doing outta class this early?" Xel barely moved.  
  
"Ugh. I got called to the Commander's office…" he said weakly. "Err… can you get off me now?" Tamue just sat on his back with a grin, enjoying the torture he must have been going through.  
  
"Nante! What's this? Have I gained a few thousand pounds that you can't stand me sitting on your back?" She gave him a wink, and he grinned.  
  
"No, not exactly." He mumbled. "I just figured you, of all people, would know that I'm in a rush."  
  
"Aren't we all when we get called to the Commander's Bridge?" she said, waving her paw as if it was nothing.  
  
"And, for that matter… what're YOU doing out of class early? Skipping again?"  
  
"Of course not! I, too, was on my way to visit our dear Shreelox." With that, she scrambled off his back and helped him up. "Now that I know you're going too, I feel much more assured that I couldn't have done something wrong." With that, they both set off at a slower pace, walking down the hallway together in silence. Through all the years that she had known him, Tamue had never lost that fluttering feeling in her stomach whenever Xel was near her, but then again; she probably never would. Of course, Xel had seemed to calm himself down from adventuring a bit. He didn't go looking for trouble, but when it found him, he was always leading, acting more superior. Otherwise, he would just be a normal alien Aisha. Getting good grades in all his science classes.  
  
"So…" she started reluctantly. "Why do you think they called us down?"  
  
"Who knows…" he mumbled.  
  
"Maybe Derix just decided to have a party or something." She suggested. Xel turned his head to her and gave her a disbelieving look with a grin.  
  
"Derix? Having a party? Where on SSV did you get that idea?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know…" she looked up at the ceiling. "Just out of the atmosphere, I guess."  
  
"And what, perchance, made you think you would be getting in trouble today?"  
  
"What WOULDN'T make me think I got intro trouble today? Let me ask you that."  
  
"Ah. Touché." And with another whoosh, and a brush of cold wind, they entered a smaller room with a light blue Alien Aisha sitting at her desk. She looked up with sea green eyes.  
  
"Oh… Zee! Xelqued! Hello, Huns!"  
  
"Hiya, Vertunax!" Tamue grinned. "How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine, Hun… how are you?"  
  
"I'm pretty good. Xel?"  
  
"Fine." He grumbled. Xel hadn't quite gotten over the fact that Vertunax used to work for Arlhox.  
  
"Shreelox told me that you were supposed to be stopping by today… whaddid you do this time?"  
  
"Ah, well, you know, the normal things. Talking back to the teachers, attempting to destroy the ship…" Tamue grinned to Vertunax.  
  
"We don't know what we did, actually. He just told us to come by. Well, Derix did anyway. I was in the middle of an important test…" Xel said.  
  
"Ah, well, you go on inside. Mind you, don't you start wreaking havoc in there… the Commander isn't there right now."  
  
"Is he on a date with a girl?" Tamue's eyes went wide. "Do you know who it is? Ver, you've gotta stop it!" Vertunax laughed.  
  
"Calm DOWN, Tamue. I don't know whether he's on a date or not. If he was, you'd expect Derix to know. He hasn't mentioned anything to me, so I guess the Commander is just doing Commander-like work."  
  
"Probably… let me know if you learn anything." She gave Vertunax a wave as Xel pulled her through the door.  
  
"Since when were you turned into a perky preppy girl?" he asked her bluntly.  
  
"Good question. Xel, I never got turned into a perky preppy girl. I'd drown before I sank that low. I just like hearing about my friend's love lives, is all. I'm a fallen cupid." She snapped back.  
  
"Aw. The bickering couple has returned." Derix lay on a rafter above them, grinning, and looking more like a panther lying on a tree-branch.  
  
"Derix!" Xel yelled up. "Last time I'm gonna tell you… Tamue and I are NOT a couple. We are NOT going out. We're…. just…. FRIENDS."  
  
"I'm so sure, high and mighty one!" Derix hopped down.  
  
"Where's your dad?" Tamue started slyly.  
  
"Oh, no. I heard you and Vertunax talking. No, he isn't going out on a date. He's doing something or other, though. Not here at the moment."  
  
"Dang."  
  
"Even if he was. You wouldn't be able to get anything out of me."  
  
"Oh, Tamue has her ways of torture..." Xel said dryly with a grin. "Remember the eggnog?"  
  
"Hectic times." Derix agreed. "Now we just have to wait fer Dream to get here."  
  
"Dream-Sa?" Tamue asked, dropping the 'n' as always. "What, did she get in trouble too?"  
  
"I have no idea. I just know that my dad came in here, upset about something, and he told me to page you guys. So, here you are." He shrugged. "He wouldn't even tell me what's going on. Just said 'Get Zee, Xelqued, and Dream in here. I need to talk to you four.' And just left."  
  
"No need to wait anymore!" DarkDigitalDream skidded into the room, ears and tail askew. "Sorry, I was writing…"  
  
"Writing a letter to Oscar?" Tamue smirked. Dream and Oscar263 had been in touch quite a bit lately. Oscar was training down on Neopia, and Dream was training on the SSV, so they didn't see each other often. Although it did look a bit suspicious that Dream went down to visit every other week.  
  
"No, I was doing my homework." Dream grinned sheepishly. "Although, I don't think he would have minded if I did, do you?"  
  
"Probably not."  
  
"So, what are we doing here again?"  
  
"My dad just told me to get you guys. We can't all be in trouble, but he was still looking upset."  
  
"I wonder what's up…"  
  
"Won't take us too long to find out. He's on his way." Xel said suddenly to the silence.  
  
"Eh? How would you know?"  
  
"I'm me. I know."  
  
"Wonderful answer, high and mighty one." And with that, the door whooshed open and in stepped the blue Aisha that everyone knew.  
  
"H'lo, Commander Shreelox!" the voices chorused.  
  
"Hi everyone…" he mumbled, sitting down with a sigh. "So much trouble going on lately… and those scientists lying every left and right. I'm considering letting them get their OWN new jobs."  
  
"Here here, Sir!" Tamue piped with a grin.  
  
"Well…" he started, taking another deep breath. "Let me guess. You want to know why you're here?"  
  
"Yussir."  
  
"Ah… well, I suppose you can blame the scientists. You all know the number one rule of science here…"  
  
" 'You may experiment as you please, but not on a living being. Nor may you be allowed to create one through experimentations.'" Xel quoted.  
  
"That's right… always on top of your science classes, aren't you, Xel?"  
  
Xel nodded at a loss for words.  
  
"Well, they sort of… disobeyed the rule."  
  
"They can't have created a new experiment!" Dream shivered.  
  
"I'm afraid they did. A young zafara female, I believe." He shot Tamue a look. "She's quite strong. Cries quite a bit, though."  
  
"So wait. We're here because you wanted to tell us that?" Derix tilted his head.  
  
"No, Derix. I want you four to be in charge of her."  
  
"WHAT?!" and the babble broke out.  
  
"But sir, we can't take care of-"  
  
"What are we gonna do about our classes?!"  
  
"We won't get any sleep at night!"  
  
"Are you INSANE, Commander-head? Putting XEL-CHAN in charge of a baby girl?!"  
  
"I heard that Tamue."  
  
"First of all, yes, you can take care of a little girl. Xel has the leadership for it, Tamue has the spunk, Dream has the persistence, and Derix has the right attitude for it. Second of all, as for your classes, you WILL be excused from them whenever something goes wrong. But this isn't to be used at your advantage…" he shot Tamue a smile. "And as for sleeping, I can't do too much about that. Only one person has to take care of her at a time, though, so try shifts. You'll be able to know when she's crying whether you're asleep or not… and yes, Tamue, I have to admit, I get a feeling I'm making a mistake making Xel take care of a baby girl."  
  
Tamue glowed.  
  
"But I think that my mistake lies more in putting YOU in charge of a baby girl. If she starts breaking the rules before she turns 5…" he warned, and Tamue smiled in embarrassment.  
  
"Ah. I mustn't raise the child in my ways. Yessir."  
  
"No, you mustn't." Shreelox eyes hardened a bit. Then he seemed to loosen up. "You should go see her now. She's in the bubble room." And they were dismissed. They walked out of the room chattering quietly to themselves.  
  
"Oooh, those scientists are really dead when I get a hold of them."  
  
"You killed one of them before, if I remember correctly."  
  
"Yeah, Tamue. You need to control that temper of yours."  
  
"I can't help it. I have stuff on my mind."  
  
"Stuff? What kind of stuff?"  
  
"Just stuff. Bad stuff. Besides, why do you want to know what's in the mind of a perky preppy girl, Xel?"  
  
"Just asking."  
  
"Perky Preppy girl? Tamue? What idiot was stupid enough to say that?"  
  
"Derix, even if I told you, you still wouldn't understand it."  
  
"Y'know, I'm missing a huge chunk of literature class doing this. All the same…"  
  
"This is more important than any literature, Dream!"  
  
"Derix! You haven't even READ any literature before!"  
  
"Exactly. Because THIS is more important than that."  
  
"Derix, you have no culture."  
  
"You also have no sense of fun."  
  
"And you're a bit snotty."  
  
"And YOU, Xel, have lost your sense of fun. Tamue, you're a bit snotty. Dream, you have too MUCH culture. Need I go on?"  
  
"Yer no fun, Derix-Cha."  
  
"May I remind you who got you out of Tzexuel's class."  
  
"Tzexuel's class? Ugh. What happened?"  
  
"I was looking out the window and he asked what I was doing. Then of course Perfect-Miss-Nanke had to correct my mistake of calling a floating ball of gas a 'star.' No, whenever SHE'S around, 'A star is a self-luminous gaseous celestial body of great mass which produces energy by means of nuclear fusion reactions, whose shape is usually spheroidal, and whose size may be as small as the earth or larger than the earth's orbit!'" Tamue frowned. "She's a stuck up pink GIT."  
  
"She isn't really that bad, Tam."  
  
"Xel, you don't even know her!"  
  
"Yeah, Xel. She really is a stuck up pink git. And I can't believe you'd stand up for her against Tamue!"  
  
"I'm not standing up with someone against anyone! But that's the right answer; what am I supposed to say? 'Oh, your right Tamue. That can't be the right answer. I wonder where she came up with something so stupid.'"  
  
"Yes, that's EXACTALLY what you're supposed to say!"  
  
"Xel, I wouldn't stick up for Nanke like that if I were you. Everyone knows that she likes you."  
  
"Her and everyone ELSE on the SSV." Tamue mumbled. If there was one thing she didn't like, it was being referred to as 'a friend of the two hottest guys on the SSV.' Sure, Xel and Derix were cute, and the other guys on the SSV weren't exactly any prize… but it didn't really matter too much, because Derix was already as good as going out with Cy, and Xel always had so many girls in his tail, one wouldn't get a chance to even look at him. Which is one of the reasons why Tamue was always hanging around. She'd be first in line to start a conversation with if he got surrounded, and she would be the one to get him out of it. Xel suddenly looked sick.  
  
"Ugh. Nanke, liking me? Since when?"  
  
"Since she first laid her pretty blue eyes on you." Tamue scrunched up her nose and frowned.  
  
"Great. Another girl after me."  
  
"Not exactly modest, are you?" And with that, they turned the corner and looked into the bubble room, which was empty except a ball of whitish- purple fluff in the middle.  
  
"Good old memories." Tamue said with a sigh.  
  
"The days when nothing revolved around schoolwork."  
  
"Good times… good times…"  
  
"I wouldn't know. You guys were such dweebs when you were little."  
  
"Yer tha one saying "dweeb.""  
  
"Touché." They went one by one through the door into pure paradise.  
  
The bubble room had been re-done. No longer did it have the look of a jungle. Now, it looked more like a field filled with blue skies, and occasional rain. There were trees and flowers and nothing seemed out of the ordinary… for anyone who had once lived on Neopia ((A/N: Or Earth, for that matter.)) . Everything was suddenly at peace…  
  
Until the fluff ball opened a pair of big, red eyes. And stared. And they stared back. Her tail twitched, revealing a bulky star shape on it. When she tried to raise it, the star shape held it down. It was a tail and a pair of eyes that couldn't go together without being-  
  
"…Magic?!" Everything else was in silence. For a second, Tamue and Magic's eyes met… and she knew that this was her. Magic had run off to the SSV a few years back. She told Tamue how she missed her mom and dad and how she wanted to go home, so Tamue spent the whole night getting Magic back up to the SSV, and she hadn't heard of her since. This had to be what Magic had been talking about, her family. She, Dream, Xel, and Derix. Why hadn't she seen it before?! Magic called her Onee-San, Xel Daifuu, Derix Jikei, and Dream Shukobo! All names of family members!  
  
Everything was still… until Magic suddenly started to cry hysterically. Xel and Derix jumped back with a yell, while Dream punched Derix in the arm and proclaimed him a coward and Tamue rushed forward to calm the distressed child.  
  
"Magic!" she yelped. "Magic, Magic, shhh… it's okay… no, stop – don't cry… ga…"  
  
"MY EARS!"  
  
"AH!"  
  
"You two are such WUSSES!!"  
  
Magic! Shhh! Don't cry, it's okay… we're gonna take care of you… Tamue thought desperately to her. Magic stopped crying almost instantly and looked up at Tamue with wonder, making an odd humming noise, then putting a paw on Tamue's nose. Tamue crossed her eyes and looked at the miniature version of her own paw that was poking at her nose over and over, then she grinned at Magic.  
  
Well, hello to you too!  
  
"Jeezuz, Tamue! What did you DO?!"  
  
"You saved my LIFE, that's what you did! I thought my ears were going to explode!"  
  
"What DID you do to her, Tamue?"  
  
"I didn't do anything. I thought to her, and she heard me. I think she thinks it's my nose talking…" she turned towards the rest of them, Magic still poking at her nose in amazement. Soon enough, though, Magic turned to Dream, Xel, and Derix and stared meekly at them with her big red eyes.  
  
"That's amazing… so wait a second. Magic was from the future?"  
  
Derix grinned.  
  
"Of course she was. Y'remember that first time I went into the time warp with her? And I told you I saw her 'daddy?' " He gave Xel an evil look, and Xel stepped back.  
  
"Your kidding. Tell me your kidding." Derix continued to stare.  
  
"Oh my god. You aren't kidding."  
  
"No, actually, I'm not. You have no idea how funny it is to see YOU, only older. And I was about 14 at the time. It was hilarious, let me tell you… And to hear Magic calling you Daddy, and you didn't mind it at all? It was the scariest thing I'd ever seen."  
  
"I LET HER CALL ME DADDY?!"  
  
Magic hummed again and reached out for Xel.  
  
"I think she likes you already." Tamue smirked. She handed Magic to Xel, who looked as if he was carrying a very fragile, and yet odd piece of glass.  
  
"At least she isn't poking at my nose." Not that it mattered whether she did or didn't, because she was trying to grab at his extra ears instead. Everyone laughed.  
  
"OW! Don't pull my ears off!" Xel yelped as she finally caught one of his ears and hugged it.  
  
"Another female that can't take her eyes off you, Xel!" Dream teased. "I'd think you'd be happy about this!"  
  
And one by one, Magic was handed to one of the group. She would always come back to Xel and hug his ears again, though. Dream's tail was another favorite, and she seemed to like poking at Derix's eyes – the feeling wasn't mutual. ("OW! What's so interesting about MY eyes?! Why not poke out XEL'S?!") And an hour later, they were all well acquainted, Magic had fallen asleep, and the rest of them were all feeling hungry.  
  
"Lunchtime!" Tamue yawned, lying out on the green grass. "I don't wanna eat in the cafeteria, I'd rather stay here…"  
  
"We aren't aloud to eat in here, you know that." Derix was rubbing at his right eye. "Ugh. She's a strong poker."  
  
"Let's go eat SOMETHING before all of it's gone." Dream agreed.  
  
"Eh. I'm gonna stay here awhile…"  
  
"…I'll go ahead." Xel offered, and he trotted out of the room, Derix following, muttering something about getting some ice on his eye. Dream stretched out on the grass too, opposite Tamue.  
  
"It's a lazy day, né?" she said with a grin, looking up at the non- existent clouds.  
  
"Yeah. I wish all days were like this."  
  
"If all days WERE like this, then we'd never get anything done. And we'd all be extremely stupid."  
  
"And illiterate."  
  
"Yeah, that too…" Dream grew silent. "So. Earlier on, you said you had dark things on your mind. What kind of dark things?"  
  
"Eh. Nothing too dark. Just thinking about stuff."  
  
"What kind of stuff?"  
  
"Evil pink git stuff that I refuse to mention in front of the kid."  
  
"Nanke getting on your nerves again?" Dream guessed. Tamue sat up.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't say it's 'getting on my nerves.' But when she comes up to me everyday, talks to all her friends about how disgusting my fur is, then warns me to say away from 'her man,' I get a little PO'D." Dream raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Wait. She's referring to Xel as… 'her… man?'"  
  
"Yezzum, she is. It's disgusting really… I'm not THAT bad. I would never say Xel was 'my man.'"  
  
"And he'd probably be thankful for it too." Dream stretched out on the grass again. "Not that he doesn't like you…"  
  
"...Which it's obvious that he doesn't."  
  
"Stop being such a pessimist. I'm just saying, if Xel got called 'your man' in the cafeteria or something… well, I know I'd be upset about it. And knowing Xel, he'd probably worse about it."  
  
"Yeah. He would be." Tamue patted Magic on the head. "Let's go get lunch before Nanke makes any moves on 'her man' in our absence." Dream sat up too.  
  
"Agreed."  
  
~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~*+*~  
  
By the time they had reached the cafeteria, the babble had already broken out, people were already eating, and they were already picking up scraps of conversation.  
  
"More trouble, you know. I hear that the commander's really upset about something… maybe Derix can let us know something…."  
  
"I don't get this essay we're supposed to do. 'Explain the Alien Aisha Vending Machines of the past…' Explain what? How they look, or what they did? I'm telling you, she's insane…"  
  
"Oh, I can't wait to go shopping in Neopia this weekend…"  
  
"Shopping on Neopia this weekend? Since WHEN?!"  
  
"Since yesterday!"  
  
"Oooh, Nanke, you should ask Xelqued to come shopping with us!"  
  
Tamue skidded to a stop and hid behind a few chairs to listen in on the normally boring conversation that had suddenly turned interesting.  
  
"Yeah, Nan', he couldn't refuse!"  
  
"You really think, Sinope?" Nanke asked, fluffing up her hair with a smile.  
  
"You KNOW that no guy on the SSV can resist you, Nanke! Expecialy not the hottest one!"  
  
"I dunno, Carme… I still think Derix is the hottest."  
  
"Whether he's hottest or not, Pasiphae, he's got a girlfriend. Doesn't he? That one Cy girl?"  
  
"Ugh." Pasiphae rolled her eyes. "I don't think so. She isn't worth it anyway…"  
  
"Pasiphae! Xel's the hottest one!"  
  
"I hope he isn't thinking about that one girl… whats-her-name, Dream!" Carme squeaked. "I hear they're pretty close."  
  
"I doubt it…" Nanke said dryly. "She has a long distance boyfriend. Probably made up or something."  
  
"That's so stupid. I don't see why anyone would want a long distance boyfriend."  
  
"I still say Derix is hotter." Pasiphae said proudly. "And if I wasn't having a bad fur day, I'd go right over there and ask him to go shopping with us right now!"  
  
"And he'd refuse, whimpering…" Tamue mumbled. Derix would never even look at Pasiphae, let alone talk with her or go shopping with her.  
  
"Well, you have the right idea. Maybe I should go ask Xelqued to shop with us." Nanke stood up.  
  
"Ooooh, good luck, Nanke!"  
  
"Oh, I won't be needing it." She said, glowing with an evil radiance. Tamue had some quick thinking to do. Either she was going to stay here and listen to what the Moons had to say, or she could save Xel from certain death.  
  
The answer was simple.  
  
Quick as a flash, she made her way over to where Xel, Derix, and Dream were sitting. Derix waved at her until she gave him death look and he stopped.  
  
"Hi there, Xelqued!" Nanke said in a flirtatious voice. Xel looked up, realized who it was, and paled.  
  
"Eh…. Hi, Nanke."  
  
"Listen!" she said happily, sitting on the table drawing invisible circles on it with her claw. "I was thinking. The girls and I are going shopping in Neopia this weekend… we wanted to know if you wanted to come along or something." She refused to take her eyes away from him.  
  
Xel winced. "Well… er…"  
  
"Nanke!" Tamue jumped out from her hiding place and casually made her way over. "I couldn't help overhearing… you're going shopping in Neopia this weekend?" Nanke's eyes turned cold as she stared at Tamue.  
  
"Yes, we are. And Xelqued, if he wants to come."  
  
" Oh… jeez, y'know, he can't." Nanke's eyes narrowed even more.  
  
"Why not? I think he can speak for himself."  
  
"He's… er…" she thought of the first thing that came to mind. "He's serving a detention." Nanke's eyes went wide, and she looked down at Xel with pity.  
  
"Oooh, did Tamue get you in trouble, Xel? You poor thing…"  
  
"He got HIMSELF into trouble." Dream snapped.  
  
"How about when detention is over?"  
  
"He's doing a public service." Derix started. Everyone stared at him, and he shrugged.  
  
"Public service?" Nanke gave Derix a flirtatious smile too.  
  
"Wow, Xel. You must have done something really bad to have to do a public service." Cy's voice suddenly drifted over to them. Derix looked extremely relieved. Cy came over, giving Nanke a suspicious look, and then sat next to Derix, who greeted her warmly. Tamue couldn't help noticing out of the corner of her eye the sad faces on the Moon group's faces.  
  
"He's got some babysitting to do." Tamue said, looking at the Moon's and waving at them. They scowled back. "You know. Xel just clicks with the kids."  
  
"Oh…" Nanke no doubt was furious. She was staring at Tamue. "Whenever you decide to change your mind, Xel, or if you have a time change, just let me know."  
  
"Uh huh." Xel was staring at Derix, who was now trying to look more superior and strong than everyone else in the room while talking to Cy, who didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Tamue, do you think I could talk with you for a second? I wanted to know about your schedule." Tamue shrugged and followed Nante out of listening distance, even for Derix or Xel. Nante suddenly turned on Tamue, pushing at her, trying to slam her into the wall. Tamue fell back in shock a bit, but otherwise, she barely moved.  
  
"You listen up, understand me? Keep away from my man. He's not yours. He never WAS yours. Never will BE yours. Whatever you pulled back there…" she pointed back to the rest of the group, flames in her eyes "… You better not try on me again, got it? Xel is mine. He doesn't like you. He never did. And he never… ever will."  
  
Tamue's vision turned red, and she knew exactly what was happening. She blanched out for a second, and the next thing she knew, Nante was being held up against the wall, a paw at her neck. A red paw. Or was it red? But it couldn't be Akki, she was long gone by now… then who? Someone was talking to Nante, threatening her. Who? It wasn't Akki, but… chicken? What chicken? Where? What was going on? Suddenly, something was ripping her away from the action. The fists and claws were gone suddenly. Where'd they go? Nanke had a bloody nose, and her otherwise 'perfect' cheek had swelled up to 2 times it's normal size. Tamue could feel blood running down her own face, and she was gasping for air. Slowly, all that was red tamed down to it's normal hue, and Tamue stood, shaking.  
  
But not on her own. Both Derix and Xel were holding her back. What? Had she been the one attacking Nante? It sure seemed so. Wipping off her mouth, which was were the blood was flowing from, she snarled at Nante.  
  
"Would you like to tell me that again, Miss Nante? I'm sure the other's here would be delighted to hear your super smart insight. And while your at it… why not explain about how a star isn't a big ball of gas anymore? How it got turned into a self-luminous gaseous celestial body of great mass which produces energy by means of nuclear fusion reactions, whose shape is usually spheroidal, and whose size may be as small as the earth or larger than the earth's orbit? Eh? Why not?"  
  
"C'mon Tamue…" Xel mumbled to her. "Let's go."  
  
And very calmly, Tamue fought of their grip, turned around, and walked out of the now silent cafeteria.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
YAY! Tamue got revenge on the evil Nanke -_-; Tamue is so much better than Nanke, she's so smart and pretty and funny and…  
  
*Jikki: Tamue, what are you doing on the computer?*  
  
*Tamue: Nooothing!*  
  
And like I was saying. Tamue and Xelqued belong together, and no one had better get in their way…  
  
*Jikki: Tamue, you're messing around with my story, aren't you.*  
  
*Tamue innocently: Me?! Noooo! What are you TALKING about?! I'm hurt that you don't trust me!*  
  
Nanke does not deserve Xelqued. She's an ugly preppy pink girl. And-  
  
  
  
*Jikki: TAMUE!!! GET AWAY FROM THAT COMPUTER!*  
  
*struggling is heard*  
  
Bleah. Tamue is also a lying, cheating scumbag sometimes. Honestly, "I'm just getting on to check my e-mail…" Yeah right. -_- Please review! T_T 


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